Inflatable flying pigs were one of the staple props of Pink Floyd 's live shows. The first balloon was a sow, with a male pig balloon later introduced in their 1987 tour. Pigs appeared numerous times in concerts by the band, promoting concerts and record releases, and on the cover of their 1977 album Animals.

Inflatable flying pigs have been a part of the English rock band’s image for 40 years, ever since the first of the breed – named Algie by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and doing its bit to advertise the 1977 Animals album – broke free from one of the chimneys of Battersea Power Station and flew, unplanned, to a farm in Kent.

Pink Floyd originally commissioned a helium filled pig to fly over Battersea Power Station in 1978 to be photographed for the front cover sleeve of their new Album ‘Animals’. The original pig created quite a stir after it escaped and made front page news for the wrong reasons!

According to the Associated Press, organizers used a replica of the original vinyl pig, which has been in storage for 35 years but was discovered to be leaky. During the original photo shoot, the pig broke free and floated into the flight path for Heathrow Airport. It was later found in a farmer’s field.